Christina
Persico RNZ Pacific Senior bulletin editor
Toa
Samoa international Jarome Luai will join Parramatta for the
2027 NRL season.
Luai was announced as the PNG
Chiefs’ first official signing for their 2028 NRL debut in
April.
At the time, he said he was at the Tigers
for another 18 months and still had a job to do
there.
But the Tigers said this week the club has
mutually agreed to release him from the final year of his
contract “following extensive discussions between Luai, his
management and the Wests Tigers”.
Tigers coach Benji
Marshall said open and honest discussions had been held over
the past four to five weeks.
“He made the decision to
go [to] PNG, which is all good and we supported him through
that,” Marshall said.
“Now, we’ve made a decision
based on what we think is best for our long-term
future.
“To Jarome’s credit, he accepted it really
well.”
Marshall said what people probably don’t see is
Luai’s involvement in the club’s culture and
professionalism.
“We love what he brings. But moving
forward, we’re prioritising guys that are probably going to
be here for the next 10 years, not for the next 12
months.”
Marshall dismissed speculation there was a
relationship breakdown with Luai.
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He said Luai’s
decision has since given the club time to look at its
playing roster around the five-eighth position.
“We’ve
got kids coming through in the same positions. If we hold a
couple of those kids back another 12 months, we might lose
those kids.”
Parramatta Eels general manager of
football Mark O’Neill said Luai’s record speaks for
itself.
“Winning four premierships requires an
exceptional level of commitment, consistency and
professionalism,” he said.
“Beyond what he offers on
the field, we believe Jarome will have a tremendous impact
on our younger players coming through the
system.”
After a year at Parramatta, Luai will join
the Papua New Guinea Chiefs for the 2028 NRL
season.
Merchandise mess
Meanwhile,
counterfeit merchandise for the PNG Chiefs is already
available in local markets.
NBC PNG reported
Chiefs CEO Lorna McPherson saying some individuals are
taking advantage of the public’s excitement.
She said
the club hasn’t released its branding yet, with their club
logo still being finalized.
McPherson said every
counterfeit product sold takes money away from the community
initiatives that the club was created to build for Papua New
Guinea.
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